Cookies and a trip to the end of the world :)

A happy smile on children's faces is guaranteed with something tasty to eat. Our dear donor sent us a financial contribution so that we could buy something for the local children. I thought for a while about what would be good to buy, but in the end we decided to sin and buy 600 cookies. Yes, we could have bought something necessary, but the important thing is that the donor was happy and so were the children. That is the purpose of our work, after all :). Giving sweets and small gifts to children in poor countries is often a discussed topic. To give or not to give? What are the positive and negative aspects? Are we spoiling them? Are we teaching them to beg and take things and money from tourists? Are we endangering them, exposing them to risk? Maybe, I don't know... The fact is that a white face that comes to visit them always has something more than they do. And some children simply try their luck. They want candy, chocolate, sometimes toys, pencils, crayons, sometimes money. Sometimes even much more important things. They simply try to seize opportunities, just like the rest of us. Can you blame them for that? From an early age, they are forced to fight for themselves, manage on their own, and live with very little. And then, in my opinion, it's mainly about human character. Some children ask for everything, and some never dare to. When they are rude, I let them know clearly. Another time, I laugh, wave my hand, and move on. We definitely don't intentionally try to teach children bad habits, and we know that sweets aren't healthy, but from time to time, you just want to make them happy and treat them with something good. Every day, I meet and pass lots of children. And when I have something, I always share it. They are often hungry all day long, and thank God I can afford to buy food every day, so I peacefully put this "ethical" dilemma behind me, because it doesn't feed anyone, and we started giving out sweets and children were happy :D. 

We distributed most of Lenka's cookies in our region, in villages, on the way to and from the farm, on the way to clients, at clients' homes, but also on the way to our trip. Climbing the only active volcano in Tanzania, Mount Oldoinyo Lengai (God's Mountain). The journey there was truly adventurous, and we were afraid that the car would not make it. But the climb up the volcano itself, the local landscape, and the thousands of Masai who have lived in this inhospitable but mysteriously beautiful, untouched nature for centuries were an unforgettable experience. We were amazed how they manage to live happily in a country that produces no crops and where, for most of the year, except during the rainy season, you won't find a single blade of fresh grass. Finding pasture for livestock, which is the whole purpose of life for the Maasai, is a very difficult task here. Every day. The slopes of the volcano and the land in the valley are covered with volcanic ash, in which particles of tiny minerals sparkle from time to time, resembling fallen stardust. The place is located in the Great Rift Valley itself, and nature here has been untouched for more than 1.5 million years. You feel as if you have found yourself in some kind of moon landscape. That is, outside of the rainy season. But when the rain starts to fall, everything turns green and changes completely. On the way there, we met dozens of Maasai children, mainly boys, herding cattle. They were totally thirsty and, more than cookies, they longed for a sip of water. We soon ran out of supplies (we had brought very few cookies with us). In fact, we hadn't even reached our destination yet and they were all gone. Masai boys spend whole days on pastures far from home. And when you drive by and see them running after you, begging for water and food, can you just pass by without stopping? That's not possible when you have the last crumb and the last sip of water in your car to share. We badly miscalculated and underprepared our supplies and money for this trip. It was only on the way there and once we arrived that we realized we would definitely have to come back and make it better for all the children we had to refuse :).